Martinez likely to play in winter baseball league

J.D. Martinez is understandably conflicted, but it sounds as if he and the Astros will be getting together to continue his season this winter.

The Astros are exploring winter ball options both in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela to try to get him back on track after a letdown sophomore season in the major leagues.

“There’s a particular club in Venezuela that we’d like him to play for,” general manager Jeff Luhnow said. “There’s some trepidation about playing in Venezuela due to the election and so forth, so we’re working through those issues.”

Martinez has some soreness in his hand when he swings from time to time, so he would have to be medically cleared.

The mixed feelings come from the need to get more reps after hitting .238 so far in a season that has included a demotion to Class AAA but also the need to preserve his weight. Martinez noted after last season that he had dropped more than 20 pounds over the course of the season and said he’s at 15 this year.

“It’s always been sketchy for me just because the offseason is so important for me just to gain that weight back,” Martinez said. “I feel like if I keep playing I’m not going to have that chance. But I also feel like there’s stuff I would love to work on.

“I’m just eager to get back because I know there’s stuff I need to work on to get back to where I was.”

Blister forces Norris to sit out

Bud Norris was scratched from his scheduled start tonight because of a blister that has plagued him much of the season.

He will simply skip a start, rejoining the rotation Thursday at St. Louis, and with the six-man rotation, every pitcher will move up a spot. So Edgar Gonzalez will start today, Dallas Keuchel Saturday and Jordan Lyles Sunday.

“We’re going to make sure the finger’s healed and there’s no more problems the rest of the year,” manager Tony DeFrancesco said. “There’s plenty of pitching here and it kind of worked out nice with the day off (Monday), everybody’s still going to get their rest.”

Club playing it safe with Storey

Mickey Storey pronounced himself as close to a go as he could, but the Astros still want to hold him out a few days after he took a comebacker off the hand, shoulder and most frighteningly, the jaw in Wednesday’s game.

“It’s still a little sore, but I feel pretty good,” Storey said.

Consensus is that he escaped something that could have been much worse, and the name Brandon McCarthy was evoked multiple times referring to the Athletics pitcher who suffered a skull fracture on a comebacker but it now recovering. Still, the Astros want to be cautious.

“We’re going to recheck his jaw and make sure there’s no teeth problem or something out of alignment,” manager Tony DeFrancesco said. “It’s going to be a few days. He took a pretty good hit.”

Milo on leave with illness

Broadcaster Milo Hamilton will miss this homestand and his planned trip to St. Louis next week with an illness but should return for the final homestand of the season.

Hamilton said he received a good report from his physician this week and added, “I’m just taking it day by day.”

He said he was disappointed that he will not be able to travel with the team to St. Louis, where he began his MLB career with the Browns in 1953 and the Cardinals in 1954, but hopes to be back in the booth for the Astros’ final homestand.